UN officials call for urgent action on women’s rights issues in Afghanistan

KABUL (Agencies): Amna Mohammed, the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, and Roza Otunbayeva, the head of UNAMA, called for immediate action on the situation of women in Afghanistan during the Organization of Islamic Cooperation meeting.
Amna Mohammed, speaking at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation meeting held on Wednesday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, under the theme “Women in Islam,” expressed concerns about the situation of women in Afghanistan. She urged that the restrictions imposed by the Taliban administration be urgently addressed.
On the other hand, Roza Otunbayeva, the head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), also shared her views at the conference, calling for a global consensus to resolve the legal issues concerning women’s rights in Afghanistan.
“An overwhelming 46 per cent of women express their firm belief that recognition should not occur under any circumstances,” Otunbayeva said. “Additionally, 50 per cent of women shared the view that recognition should be granted only once de facto authorities lift the restrictions on women’s education, employment, and meaningful participation in inclusive government,” she added. However, women’s rights activists argue that the responses from the United Nations and Islamic countries have not been beneficial in securing the rights of Afghan women.
Soraya Paikan, a women’s rights activist, says that the reactions of the United Nations and Islamic countries have been merely declarative and have not yielded any tangible results in ensuring the rights of Afghan women.
It should be noted that in the past two years, as the Taliban administration came to power, more than 50 decrees against women’s freedoms have been issued in Afghanistan. These decrees have affected various aspects of women’s lives, including restrictions on education and a ban on working in government and non-governmental offices.
Meanwhile, Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, responded to the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations by stating that, except for a few “minor” issues, women’s rights in Afghanistan are preserved within the framework of Islamic law.
Amna Mohammad emphasized in her speech that more than 130 million girls worldwide are deprived of education, and this issue is more pronounced in Afghanistan.
She further stressed, “We are suffering in this regard.”
It has been over two years since girls from the sixth grade have been deprived of education, and the fate of university women is still uncertain. However, the Islamic Emirate believes that women’s rights in Afghanistan have been secured.